Charging device for gas-producers.



J. A. HERRIOK.

CHARGING DEVICE FOR GAS PRODUCERS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.I5, 1913.

Patented Dec. 1, 191.4

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

J. A. HERRIOK. CHARGING DEVICE FOR GAS PRODUCERS APPLICATION FILEDAPR.15,1913.

Patented Dec. 1, 1914.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

ATTORNEY JAMES A. HERRICK, OF NEVJARK, NEW JERSEY.

CHARGING DEVICE .FOR GAS-PRODUCERS Speeifieatiiin of Letters Patent. P tt d Dem 1 .19

Application filed April 15, 1913. Serial No. 761,179.

To all whom it may concern Be it known-that I, JAMES A. HERRICK, acitizen of the United States of America, and resident of Newark, in thecounty ofsEssex and State of New Jersey, whose post'oifice address is No-20 West street, New York, N. Y., haveinv'e'iited certain new and usefulImprovements in Charging Devices for Gas- Producers, of which thefollowing is a specification. l

This invention relates to charging devices for gas producers or thelike, and has for its object to provide, in connection with the usualhopper upon the cover of the producer, a distributor member below theinner.

end of the hopper, which distributer serves also the function of a valveor closure for the hopper, the distributor being. rotatable and beingalso capacitated for reciprocatory movement.

Another object of the invention is to im- Still another object is toprovide a form of distributor member which, While simple inconstruction, shall have adequate heatresisting quality, without thenecessity for water-cooling.

Other objects and aims of the invention, more or less broad than thosestated above, together with the advantages inherent, will be. in partobvious and in part specifically referred. to in the course of thefollowing description of the elements, combinations. arrangements ofparts, and applications of principles constituting the invention; andthe scope of protection contemplated will a ppear from the claims.

In the accompanying f drawings, which are to be'taken as a part ofthisspecification, and in which I have shown a form of embodiment of theinvention as at present preferred: Figured is a view partly in sec tionand partly in elevation, and with parts broken .mvay, illustrating aform of embodiment of m invention and its application to the cover of aproducer; Fig. 2 is a sectional view, taken on the line of Fig. l and.looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 3 is a section onthe line 33 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 4 is a topplan view of the dis trihuter member shown in Fig. 1;'Fig. 5 is iinilsn'to Fig. 1, illustrating another form of embodiment of the inventioniFig. ti 1s atop plan view of the same; and Fig; 7- is a view similar toFig. 4, of the particular form of distributor member shown 1n Fig.

Referring to the numerals on the drawings, there is indicated at 8 thetop or cover of a producer, which is provided with an opening 9 throughwhich coal from a hopper 10 may be introduced into the in- PQIIOI, of thproducer. Over-lying the open-' mg 9 and forming'the bottom of the hopper 10 in Fig. 1 there is a block 11, which in the present instance isshown provided with three apertures 12, indicated .by dotted lines onFig. 3. This blocl: 11 has also a central aperture through which passesa shaft 14, to the lower end of which is secured a hollow shoe ordistributor member plurality of openings, three in the present instance,which are adapted to register with the openings 12 in the block 11. InFig. 3 the openings in the spider and the openings in. the block areshown out of register, so that the lower end of the hopper issubstantially closed; and since the contacting surfaces of the block 11and spider 16 are accurately ground the closure formed thereby at thelower end of the hopper may be substantiall gas-tight. One of the wallsdefining each of the openings of the spider is preferably beveled, asindicated at 17, so that a knife edge is provided, whereby to break upany lumps which may happen to become lodged in any one of the openings12.

W'ithin the hopper the shaft is provided with a stirring member ormembers 18 rigidly secured thereto, each of which is preferably beveledto a cutting edge on one side as shown, and which, when a pluralitythereof is used,- are preferably disposed in regular order about theshaft L1 and at dili'erent points along the length thereof. 'W'ith thesestirring members 18 are adapted bearing 21, the said bracket alsoproviding bearings for a drive shaft 22 and a fulcrum-bearing 24 for alever 25. The upper end of the cover is provided with a surroundingannular trough 26, and over the top of the hopper there is a spider 27having'an aperture as indicated at 28. This spider has an annular flange29 whereby it is secured to the inner wall of the hopper, as by means ofscrews 30, and has also, an annular trough centrally thereof, as shownat 31. Cooperating with this spider 27 there is a top or cover 32, whichhas an over- 7 hanging edge 34, a depending annular flange which isintended to dip into water contained within the trough 26, an annulardepending flange 36 which is intended to dip into water contained withinthe annular trough 31, and an aperture 37 which may be brought intoregistry with the aperture 28 of the spider 27 whenever desired. Thecontacting f ces of spider 27 and cover 32 are accuratelxdground, sothat when the openings 28 an 37 are out of registry the top of thehopper may be closed in a substantially gas-tight manner. The spider 27has a hub 38, about which the,cover-disk 32 rotates, and this hub 38 issecurely held within the bearing 21 as by means of screws 39. The shaft14 passes centrally through this hub 38, and through the hub 40 of agear wheel 41, this gear-wheel hub 40 being interposed between the shaft14 and the hub 38 of the spider 27. For the purpose of steadying thegear wheel I may provide a collar 42 surrounding the hub of the gearwheel at its lower end and secured thereto as by means of a set-screw,which collar 42 bea s against the lower end of the hub of the spider 27.It is intended that the gear wheel 41 shall rotate with the shaft 14,and i that said shaft 14 may have reciprocatory motion relatively to thesaid gear wheel 41. The shaft and the gear wheel are accordingly keyedtogether as indicated at 44, so that they rotate together, while theshaft may reciprocate relatively to the gear wheel. The gear wheel 41meshes with the gear 45 carried on the end of the shaft 22, whichshaftmay be caused to rotate by, means of the hand-wheel 46, or may be drivenby achain drive indicated at 47. I have shown a stepped arrangement ofdriven pulleys or sprockets 47. which will of course cooperate withcorresponding driving pulleys or sprockets, so that the shaft andtherefore the shaft 14 may be caused to rotate at we rious syn-eds. Foraccomplishing the reciprocation of the shaft 14, I employ the lever 25,having its fulcrrm at 24, and having a slot and-pin connect-an with abox 48 that is secured to the upper end of the shaft 14.

It will be obvious that by means of the hand-wheel 46, or by means, 0.the power connections described, the shaft 22 and ,con

sequently the shaft 14 may be rotated as necessary or desirable, while,through the medium of the lever 25, the vertical position of thedistributer member 15 may be regulated. In the form shown in Fig. 1, theraising or lowering of the distributer member results in giving to thecoal discharged from the distributer memberv a greater or less fall,while in the form shown in Fig. 5 the vertical movement of the shaft 14determines whether the lower end of the hopper is open or closed orpartly open, and thereby determines the escape of fuel from the hopper,as well as regulating the length of fall of the fuel from thedistributer member.

In the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 there is provided a quadrant 49 withthe notches whereof is adapted to engage the end of a spring-pressedmanipulative keeper or latch 50, so that the shaft 14 may be held in oneof a number of vertical positions. The distributer member shown in Fig.1 comprises a hollow shoe, substantially as shown, having a relativelyshort heel portion 51 and a relatively long toe 52, and slopingdownwardly in every direction from the shaft 14- which enters the upperend of the shoe, and to which the shoe is secured. The shaft 14 ispreferably threaded at its lower end, and there is a nut 54 threaded onthe end of the pipe, between which and a second nut 55 also threaded onthe end of the pipe the top wall of the shoe is held, the top wall ofthe shoe being of course apertured for the passage of the shaft 14. Inthe form of embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the shoe 15 is hollow and isintended to be water-cooled. Accordingly the shaft 14 is hollow in thisembodiment, and there is a pipe 56 that passes through the hollow shaft14 and conducts water into the interior of the shoe 15 as by means ofthe extension 57. I also provide a hand-hole and closure 58 therefor inthe lower face of the shoe, whereby access to the interior of the shoemay be. had. The upper face of the shoe, besides sloping dowry \vardlyin every direction, is provided with ribs 59 extending in differentdirections radially from the shaft 14, whereby the coal is guided in itsdownward travel. I have found that in order to secure a positivedischarge of the necessary quantity of coal at the center of theproducer, commensurate with the discharge that takes place out towe rdthe sides of the producer, it is very advantageous to employ thearrangement of shoe shown in Fig. 1, where there is an openin; extendingthrough the top and bottom walls of the shoe, and bounded by continuousside walls, through which fuel may pass to points directly-underneaththe shoe. To this end the through opening referred to is located betweentwo of the ribs or ridges 59, and the fuel in its descending travelbetween these two ribs reaches the through opening, and by means of theend wall thereof is directed downwardly but in an opposite direction toits previous direction of travel.

The apparatus shown in, Fig. 5 is in general similar to thatv alreadydescribed with reference to Fig. 1, with the exception that the shaft itis no: a hollow shaft, and there are no stirring devices shown withinthe hopper. Neither is the apertured block ll. present. nor the spider16. The hopper in Fig. 5 has its lower end supported on one annular wallof a trough til, aiid has an oilset annular depending flange (32 whichis intended to dip into water within the trough (31, this trough beingsupported on the cover of the producer. The shoe employed in connectionwith this Fig-5cmbodinient is not water-cooled, but its general shape islike that shown in .l ig. 1. The shaft 1-4 extends through the shoe, andthe latter is held between a collar it on the shaft and a nut (35threaded on to the end of the shaft. The lower ed s of the shoe areinturned indicated at (36, and there are reiintrant projections 67, sothat the lower face of the shoe, from the hub thereof downwardly towardthe edges in every direction, may be covered or lined with fireresisting material, such as lire bricks or the like.

Inasmuch as many changes could be made in the above cmistruction, andmany apparently widely different embodiments of my invention could bemade without departing from. the scope thereof, it is intended that allmatter contained in the above descrip tion or shown in the :ntcoinninying draw ings. shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense. It is also to be understood that the language used inthe following claims is intended to cover all the generic and sperifiefeatures of the invention herein described and all statements of thescope of the invention, which, as a matter of language, might be said tofall therebetween.

I claim? I. In apparatus of the kind described, a cover having anopening therein, a hopper located above said opening, a water-seal forthe lower end of said hopper, a rot ti vo tically movable shaftextending through the hopper and carrying a distributor member at itslower end cooperating with the water seal to close said opening, awater-sealed cover for the upper end of the hopper providing a bearingfor said shaft, a gear Wheel keyed to said shaft for relativelongitudinal movement and rotatable therewith, said gear wheel having abearing centrally of said hopper-cover, means for driving said gearwheel, and means for imparting vertical movement to said shaft.

2. In, apparatus of the kind described, a hopper having an. annulartrough about its upper end, a cover for said hopper having a fuelopening and having a depending flange secured to the inner wall of thehopper at the upper end thereof, said cover providing also a centralannular trough, and a hub, a closure having a fuel aperture adapt ed toregister with the fuel aperture of said cover and having a dependingflange entering the outside annular trough of the hopper and having alsoan edge overhanging said trough. said closure having also a centralannular depending flange extending into the central annular trough ofthe cover, and means engaging said hub portion.

3. ln apparatus of the hind described, a hollow shoe having an attachingportion and having upper surfaces sloping downwardly in the samedirection from said attaching portion, radial ribs extending from saidattaching portion and along said sloping surfaces, and said shoe beingprovided with a through opening between two adjacent ribs, said openinghaving an end wall that projects at both sides of the shoe in adirection opposite to the direction of the slope between said two ribs.

'1'. In HPPHPUUIS of the kind described, a hollow shoe having anattaching portion and having upper surfaces sloping downwardly in thesame direction from said at tuching portion, radial ribs extending fromsaid attaching portion and along said sloping surfaces, said shoe beingprovided with a through opening between two adjacent ribs, said openinghaving an end wall that projects at both sides of the shoe in adirection opposite to the direction of the slope between said two ribs,and means for conducting tluid through said hollow shoe.

in testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence oftwo witnesses.

JAMES A. HERRICK. In the presence of-- MARY H. Lewis, Anon L. MiLLnR.

